Ballistic missiles often include a flight vehicle and at least one propulsion stage coupled to the flight vehicle. Such ballistic missiles are often stored in a launch canister for loading into a launch tube of a launch system, or a launcher. A “round,” a launch canister and a ballistic missile, often has a specific and inflexible weight requirement resulting from “load-out” capabilities of the launch system or of the armament or vehicle where the launch system is located, such as on a warship. The round weight requirement is divided between the launch canister and the ballistic missile. The weight of the launch canister is driven by the requirement for a protective launch canister, while the weight of the ballistic missile is largely driven by the amount of propellant and necessary componentry, such as systems of actuators and batteries, thrust vector controls, and attitude controls.
Such systems control separate functions of missile launch and flight and typically have separate power sources. For example, the propulsion stage of a projectile enables egress from a launch canister and launch system, movement away from the launch system, and movement towards a target. Thrust vector controls enable control of pitch and yaw during propulsion stage burn and initial flight vector alignment, and attitude controls enable control of subsequent, slight pitch, yaw, and roll adjustments. These systems also often require complex assembly integration, include numerous single point failure sources, and add significant projectile weight and size. Accordingly, there is a need for a projectile having systems allowing for balancing of the projectile's external profile, total round weight, system integration difficulty, and failure point risk concerns.